Germany’s Coach Says Salei Shouldn’t Play

George Kingston, the former San Jose Shark coach who is coaching the German Olympic team, said after his team’s 8-2 loss to Belarus on Monday that Mighty Duck defenseman Ruslan Salei should not have been allowed to play for Belarus while under suspension by the NHL.

Salei was suspended two games for head-butting Chicago’s Sergei Krivokrasov on Feb. 1. The Ducks let him leave early to play for his homeland; he played a steady defensive game in Belarus’ 4-0 victory over France on Saturday and scored a goal against Germany on Monday.

“I simply do not understand the world of hockey when this type of a situation has been allowed to occur,” Kingston said. “This has a National Hockey League stamp all the way through the tournament and it is very surprising that the way to come and be with your team early in the qualification round is via the suspension.”

Salei was the only NHL player released early. Others were expected to join their teams for games Tuesday.